He also had a successful parallel career as the writer of macabre adult short stories, usually with a dark sense of humour and a surprise ending. Dahl went on to create some of the best-loved children's stories of the 20th century, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and James and the Giant Peach. The book was commissioned by Walt Disney for a film that was never made, and published in 1943. His first children's book was The Gremlins, about mischievous little creatures that were part of RAF folklore. Its title was inspired by a highly inaccurate and sensationalized article about the crash that blinded him, which claimed he had been shot down instead of simply having to land because of low fuel. The story, about his wartime adventures, was bought by the Saturday Evening Post for $900, and propelled him into a career as a writer. Today the story is published as A Piece of Cake.

Roald Dahl's stories continue to make readers shiver today.Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer and screenwriter of Norwegian descent, who rose to prominence in the 1940's with works for both children and adults, and became one of the world's bestselling authors.ĭahl's first published work, inspired by a meeting with C.

These delightfully disturbing tales have often been filmed and were most recently the inspiration for the West End play, Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales by Jeremy Dyson. Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. 'Dahl is too good a storyteller to become predictable' Daily Telegraph In the black comedies of Switch Bitch Roald Dahl brilliantly captures the ins and outs, highs and lows of sex. In the middle, meanwhile, are The Great Switcheroo and The Last Act, two stories exploring a darker side of desire and pleasure. Topping and tailing this collection are The Visitor and Bitch, stories featuring Dahl's notorious hedonist Oswald Hendryks Cornelius (or plain old Uncle Oswald) whose exploits are frequently as extraordinary as they are scandalous. In Switch Bitch four tales of seduction and suspense are told by the grand master of the short story, Roald Dahl.

Switch Bitch by Roald Dahl